I've got a bad feeling about this

[rthstewart]

Yesterday, via duncatra and Club Jade, I saw that Random House announced that it has jumped the shark and will be sponsoring a fan fiction contest at San Diego Comic Con.  From the press release:

Random House Audio Invites Fan Fiction Authors to Record Their Stories at Comic-Con International in San Diego
One story will be selected by RH Audio producers to

Comments

[harmony_lover]

Okay, first of all, the "OMG, women read porn?" deserves an eyeroll. :)

Second, I have a really deep ambivalence to all of the BDSM in 50 Shades. (Again, I should say this is all hearsay; I've read some commentary on the book in order to understand the premise and plot, such as it is, but I haven't read it). No, it isn't at all irrational in times like this to want someone to come into your life and take away the economic pressure. It's a nice, relieving kind of fantasy. Nor is BDSM bad in itself for those who want to practice it. But when you put this kind of narrative into the culture at large, and you do get the commentators who say that this is all because achieving women really want to be dominated, that they are tired and angry and frigid because they haven't been tied down to a bed and ravished properly, that disturbs me. That moves into the kind of patriarchal power argument that has been in place for centuries, and that women have spent centuries fighting against, and I just can't stand it. This is similar to the problem that I have with pornography, btw. (Actual, filmed pornography, as opposed to fictional smut). I recognize that pornography is going to exist as long as free speech exists, and I respect its right to exist as free speech. However, I have serious problems with the messages it puts out about women, male power, and sexual relationships. (Same-sex porn is a slightly different kettle, I think, but I won't go into that here). 50 Shades falls into this category. I respect its right to exist, but I'm profoundly disturbed by the cultural messages (and the misogynist interpretations) that it generates.

As far as how this woman wrote her work, sold her work, and became famous, that is fascinating on so many levels, and more power to her for being able to do it. In this case, she kept control of her work and distributed it without any help, until she sold so many that a company took notice. That is wonderful, and I think it probably helped her keep the kind of control over her work that any of us would want. She was already successful, and so they weren't going to force her to change much.

The loss of control implied in the comic-con thing is rather disturbing. I do think that RH is probably looking for the next big seller, but doing it in such a way that they can assert some control over the work before it is published, and that's no good for the author(s). This is a sound-byte contest, not a book contract.

I'm so sorry you've been without power for so long! Was that a result of all the storms that have been going through? Are you without power at work as well? That has to be so difficult. It must be nearly impossible to get anything done.

We are hanging in there. Apartment nailed down, but still sorting things with the moving company. Article and book done, but still have another article to write. Have classes and schedule at SUNY Canton, but still no online ID or sign-in, so I can't receive e-mail or post anything course-related. Everything is in a sort of halfway state. Today and tomorrow are lost in a whirl of preparation and Fourth of July guests, so I may simply call it a wash and write fic tonight. :)

[cofax7]

I have a really deep ambivalence to all of the BDSM in 50 Shades

It's also worth noting that, aside from all the issues you point out, from what I hear is it's not particularly accurate BDSM. As in, the way the characters behave is not congruent with the standards of the mainstream American BDSM community (inasmuch as there is one, anyway).

So not only does the work lend itself to a misinterpretation of women's sexuality and women's roles in society (which the work is not really to be blamed for), it misrepresents the community it takes its substance from.

[harmony_lover]

Hmmm. That's a whole problem in and of itself, isn't it? If she wasn't getting her standards of BDSM from the mainstream American community, where was she getting them from? And if she made them up, then is she misrepresenting BDSM as a sexual practice, as well as misrepresenting those who practice it?

Hmmm.